For the first time, EMU is working toward creating an LGBTQ+ advisory board, which would give support and suggestions for queer equity on campus. On Saturday, Oct. 14, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion hosted a homecoming event for discussions about the advisory board and how it could best support queer alumni, employees, and students. Attendees were mostly alumni, but some EMU employees and current students also participated.
The event took the form of a world cafe, in which each table had a different prompt for discussion, and people migrated to different tables between rounds of discussion. The prompts were written on large papers that people at the table could write or draw on to convey their thoughts. One volunteer stayed at each table throughout the event to summarize to new groups the progression of each previous discussion, and at the end, the individual group conversations were brought into the large group with the main points of discussion.
One of the prompts asked, “Imagine an EMU where all LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff are able to be their most full and authentic selves. What does this EMU look/feel like?” The groups at this table largely discussed the progress that EMU has made with gender-inclusive housing and bathrooms, but they recognized the importance of “under-the-surface” changes. For example, they noted that the Queer Student Alliance does not have an official meeting place on campus.
Another prompt stated, “Pretend you’re on this future advisory board. How do you imagine this group contributing to EMU’s LGBTQ+ belonging work?” This table reported emphasizing campus resources and advocacy regarding training and policies. They also discussed fundraising and connecting students with alumni who could offer support and advice. Another priority was to ensure that the board would be a permanent institution at EMU.
A third prompt asked, “How could EMU improve the ways it connects with LGBTQ+ alum?” In response, these groups stressed the importance of communicating and making reparations with alumni who had disengaged from the university. They also encouraged maintaining the history and momentum of queer events related to EMU.
This fed into the final prompt: “How could EMU begin repairing the harm that it has inflicted on LGBTQ+ people?” People here discussed the university as a whole—not only activists within the university—issuing a public recognition of the harm it had caused and presenting a comprehensive plan for how to fix problems moving forward.
EMU has been working to repair its relationship with the LGBTQ+ community after decades of harm. The LGBTQ+ Advisory Board is still in the discussion and brainstorming phase, and this event was intended to gather thoughts from people involved with the campus. None of the ideas discussed at the event reflect the official plans of EMU but rather participants’ hopes for what the university could become.
Some inclusive features that EMU has adopted are gender-neutral bathrooms in the University Commons and gender-inclusive housing in Cedarwood. The LGBTQ+ Advisory Board will help encourage and institutionalize inclusive initiatives at EMU.
